What would you do for a buck? That’s a bit of a loaded question, but a handful of drivers in New Jersey thought it was enough to risk their lives.

According to NBC News, a Brink’s armored truck was traveling on Route 3 West in East Rutherford when its rear door apparently malfunctioned and spilled money onto the highway. This caused a number of people to stop their vehicles in the middle of the morning rush hour and make a mad dash for the cash.

Needless to say, this was a pretty stupid decision as traffic continued moving – albeit at a slightly slower pace. Unfortunately, this lead to at least two accidents and several videos show what appears to be a Toyota Corolla with major front end damage.

While a number of people were obviously in it for themselves, East Rutherford Police Captain Phillip Taormina told the network that a good Samaritan grabbed some of the money and then returned it to the security guard. He left the scene shortly thereafter, as he was reportedly late for work, but police want to talk to him as part of their investigation.

We have had several individuals contact ERPD & return money in this case. We would like to advise people if they have any money connected to this incident to contact ERPD at 201-438-0165 to make arrangements for its return with no charges filed.

Speaking of the investigation, police are asking anyone with knowledge or video of the incident to contact them. The department also tweeted a message saying anyone who grabbed some cash can “make arrangements for its return with no charges filed.” Given the number of videos that are out there, drivers should seriously consider the offer as the message implies that those who don’t return the money could face charges if caught.

Thankfully several people have already contacted the department and returned the money they collected. However, there’s no word on how much cash is missing at this point.

This happened right by my office. Only in NJ. People are crazy this side of the Hudson River.

Jay

Only in NJ? I’m pretty sure this would happen in plenty of places.

OdysseyTag

Yep, I’m not joking when I say this happens in South Africa almost every day.

дапвт

Idiots. All that cash is marked and when something like that happens, it’s illegal to touch it. If you think you gonna grab some and go buy something, good luck. That’s financial fraud and you will go to jail.
Same thing applies when the bank accidentally deposits money into your account. It’s illegal to spend it. Must be returned. People have gone to jail over stuff like that.

bxniels0

But even if they wouldn’t get caught, why would they try and steal it in the first place?

Finkployd

I guess they don’t see it as stealing since it’s laying on a public road… but it is

Jay

You grab it before the serials are logged and you’ll be Scott Free 🙃.

Ben

They’re already logged, long ago. In the event of a crime, disaster or misprint the money can be quickly identified. They don’t wait until the money gets to the bank for it to be accounted for by serial number. You spend that money, you’re just as guilty as a bank robber.

Jay

So you know precisely that the money that was on the highway was logged instead of being just being picked up by a location that does not log their money? Some places like grocery stores and gas stations do not log them before an armored pick up.

Ben

No, I don’t know precisely where the money that was lost came from. However, drivers cannot take businesses at their word for home much money is being deposited. In order to prevent chain theft, people stealing money before its accounted for and secured, some trucks have counters that sort and index the bills taken from each stop.

I can’t tell you that this specific truck was equipped with such a feature, but Brinks Co. is a large commercial name and I’m sure they’d uses these systems equal or more advanced than lesser known security transport companies would.

Jay

That could be true but in most instances they stop, the bag is thrown in the back of the truck and they go. Could there be someone in the back running the machine? Maybe but I doubt it. And these trucks don’t normally stay that long at their pick up locations soo… I’m going with my gut here to say this money was most likely not logged yet.